Beware of advertisements that make unbelievable claims about job opportunities. The ads misrepresent wages and the number of jobs actually available, and you must always pay a fee to receive more information. You should beware of job opportunity pitches that:

• Guarantee placement in a job,
• Claim no experience or special skills are needed to qualify,
• Offer too-good-to-be-true wages, or
• Offer overseas employment.

Frequently, a con artist who promotes a job opportunity scheme offers job training in a specific field (such as truck driving, oil rigging, or heavy equipment operating) to fill a "critical" shortage at double or triple the applicant's current salary. The pitch assures a successful graduate of work with the same company offering the training.

Such a fraudulent promotion will typically appear as a "business opportunity" rather than a "school" listing. The training program offered will be over-priced and often uncertified. Graduates will not be placed in jobs because the school will not be able to provide any jobs with it and will not be associated with private industry employers.

Sometime con artists try to sell you a catalog containing the names of companies supposedly hiring workers for various jobs. Frequently, these jobs are said to be high-paying positions overseas. If you buy the catalog, which often costs $30 or more, you may find the companies listed are not hiring. Any money-back guarantee that comes with your catalog will often have requirements that may be difficult for you to meet.

Be wary of ads that promise to get you a job with the U.S. Postal Service. In 1991, the Postal Service began to significantly reduce the number of employees in its workforce nationally. In 1992, a reorganization of the Postal Service eliminated tens of thousands of additional positions. The money you spend to obtain information on how to get a postal job may only get you generic information which is already available for free from the Postal Service and from some public libraries. Save your money and instead contact your nearest Postal Service employment office to see if postal jobs are available in your area and to obtain the necessary application forms.

You may also contact your local Better Business Bureau or other consumer protection agency to check on a company you are considering paying money to for job training or employment opportunities. You may find there have been complaints against the company.

If you have been taken by a phony job opportunity scheme, and the U.S. Mail system was used in any way, report your experience to your local postmaster or the nearest Postal Inspector.

| Inspection Service Home Page |